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Undead
The Undead were once-living creatures that had been animated by spiritual or supernatural forces. Some deities employed undead as divine servants; for example, the dwarven god Dumathoin used undead dwarves as divine messengers. Undead were extremely resilient to a number of effects and substances that were extremely harmful to the living. They were immune to: all mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects,. paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects. In addition, it was not possible to drain their life force in any manner. Origins of undeath There were six basic ways a living creature can become undead: ;Purposeful personal reanimation: : A living creature willingly underwent the transformation to undeath. In most cases, the creature possessed a disposition towards evil, but that was not always the case. More common reasons included fear of dying of old age, fear of dying from a grievous wound and a thirst for power. ;Minions: : An intelligent creature created undead servants as a mean to their own ends. These mindless minions were created by malevolent spellcasters to serve as guards or otherwise carry out their bidding. }} ;Atrocity calls to unlife: : A living creature committed an evil and heinous act that transformed into an undead creature. The intensity and specificity of the required act was somewhat random and not entirely uncommon. ;Unfinished Business: : An intelligent creature died or was killed with an important deed left incomplete. In a similar manner to atrocities, the specifications surrounding undeath achieved in this manner were often left up to chance. ;The Dark Curse: : Malign forces created undead beings seemingly at random. This had the potential to befell any creature, at any location and seemingly at any time. ;Death by wounds caused by another undead: : Many forms of undead creatures inflicted their undeath upon others when striking them with a mortal wound. Perhaps most famously, this occurred in the cast of vampires and their bite. Types of Undead Skeletal *Liches ** Lich ** Demilich * Revived fossil *Skeletons ** Skeleton ** Minotaur skeleton ** Warhorse skeleton Corporeal * Angel of decay * Atropal scion * Blaspheme * Bleakborn * Blood amniote * Bloodmote cloud * Bone Naga * Bone rat swarm * Boneyard * Brain in a jar * Cinderspawn * Corpse rat swarm * Crawling Claw * Deathlock * Death Knight * Desiccator * Dracolich * Entomber * Entropic reaper * Forsaken shell * Ghast * Ghoul * Grave dirt golem * Hulking corpse * Mummies ** Mummy ** Mummy lord * Necromental * Necropolitan * Nightshade ** Nighthaunt ** Nightwalker * Plague blight * Raiment * Skin kite * Skirr * Skulking cyst * Slaymate * Tomb mote *Vampires ** Vampire ** Vampire spawn * Visage * Wheep * Wight * Will-o'-wisp *Zombies ** Zombie ** Ogre zombie ** Beholder zombie Incorporeal * Crypt chanter * Dream vestige * Ghost * Murk * Quell * Shadows ** Shadow ** Shadow assassin * Spectral lyrist * Specters ** Specter ** Poltergeist * Wraith Appendix Further reading AD&D 1e * * AD&D 2e * 3e * * * 3.5e * References